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[Monday Motivation] The Simple Strategy for Ensuring Every Year is Better Than the Last

We are days away from the start of a new month. But not just any month, the last month of 2016. In several weeks, we'll be celebrating the beginning of a brand new year. My goal, for nearly a decade, has been to make each year better than the last. I'm happy to report that I've achieved this goal year after year.

The reason I've been able to do so is simple. I have a very deliberate creation process. I also spend a lot of time setting up the end of the year to make sure I start off on the right foot on January 1rst.

The month of December is absolutely critical. To me, this represents the perfect opportunity to finish strong. There's plenty happening in the month with holidays and other festivities. If we're not careful, the month will fly by and, by January 1, we'll be making (empty) promises to ourselves about what we plan on doing differently.

Why not try something different this year? It's time to become a deliberate creator in your life. And the next 30 days will be the key to creating a new level of momentum.

Here's what I'll be focusing on over the next 30 days.

ENVIRONMENT
One tradition I've held for many years is to do something that impacts my living environment. For some reason, I HAVE to make changes in my surroundings to signify a change in my reality. The Right Environment is Absolutely Everything! For me, this means clearing major clutter, rearranging furniture or purchasing new pieces. My goal was to clean or rearrange until the environment creates an impact. Let me explain....

Something magical happens when we walk into the lobby or a high-end hotel or step into a beautiful restaurant or resort. We're impacted as soon as we step in the establishment. In the same token, when we come home of a clutter free space, we experience a similar impact. That small jolt of energy is real and quite powerful. I find that my creativity flows the easiest when the environment is right. Suddenly, resistance and fear aren't as crippling and I can work on that thing that I've been putting off. You might remember that scene from Limitless where Eddie cleans his house from top to bottom. What does he do next? He immediately works on that manuscript that he's been avoiding. A chaotic environment consumes our mental energy and we need as much of that energy to flow as possible.

The PLAN
When I worked full-time, I didn't have the entire month to focus on my end of year goals. Instead, I took 2 weeks off and got hyper-focused on getting a lot done in a short amount of time. So I created a clear plan of what I'd accomplish over the next 14 days. I knew those 2 weeks would fly by so I had to get focused. Every day, I woke up early and stayed up late. There would be no sleeping in for me, it was game time.

This year's planning process will look something like this:

+ I'll decide which goals (outcomes) I want to achieve by the end of the month.
+ From that list of outcomes, I'll decide which can be achieved with quick action versus repeated action. Example: One outcome is to update my countertops. This requires "quick action" (schedule appointment to have countertops measured then approve the work.
+ I plan on doing all of the "quick action" outcomes first! Getting them out of the way will quickly build momentum that I can further leverage for other goals.

+ For the outcomes that require repeated action (i.e fitness goals, business projects, etc), I need to plan my daily activities.
+Repeated action outcomes call for constant motivation. This means that I'll support my intentions by fueling my desire for success. For me, this means watching/listening to motivational videos while I work. This keeps my focus at an all time high. When I'm focused, I'm productive.
+Repeated actions are the key to a successful 30-day challenge so fueling my motivation on a daily basis is a must.

One habit that has served me well during 30-day challenges are the weekly check-ins. Every week, I'd take a walk in the park and do a voice recording update on my progress. When I was consistent with the weekly check-in process for several months, I was able to achieve massive results in my business.

Honestly, I don't always reach all of my goals by the end of the year. But, what I am doing is building momentum that typically lasts into the new year. When everyone else is deciding on their resolutions, I'm already experiencing amazing results and ready to start a new 30-day challenge.

There are two days left in the month. By the time Dec 1 rolls around, I'll already have a plan in place. Hopefully, I'll complete my quick action goals within the next 7 days and get a head start to a breakthrough year in 2017!